Shred
by NiftyPaint24
Summary: The Taisho family has a fun-filled weekend at the motocross track. This is a flash forward fic for Dirt, though it's not necessary to read it before this. ;) Rated for later chapters. SessxKag AU
1. Chapter 1

Title: Key Preparation

Prompt: Dokuga Contest's Cherry on Top Challenge #24-Green Tea

Genre: Comedy/General

AU/CU: Alternate Universe

Rating: G

Warnings: None

Word Count: 1,158

A/N: The first chapter of _Shred._ This is a flash forward for a fic of mine called _Dirt_ , though it's not necessary to read it before this. ;)

Summary: The Taisho family prepares for their weekend trip to the motocross track.

 **KEY PREPARATION**

"Are we sure we have everything?" Kagome asked Sesshomaru as she glanced around the interior of their motor-home.

"Yes," Sesshomaru answered.

"Plenty of blankets and pillows?"

"Yes."

"My gear for the weekend and Toshi's? We brought him several sets right?"

"Yes."

"His and Sakura's toys? Sakura's playpen? The ice-chest?"

"Yes," Sesshomaru answered grinning at Kagome. "We have _everything_."

"Except for the food and drinks," Kagome corrected.

"Which we're stopping to get on the way there," Sesshomaru said, offering Kagome his hand to help her out of the motor home.

"I guess we just have to worry about the rig," Kagome said, heading in the direction of their factory provided, in-closed and fully equipped motorcycle trailer that was hauled with a semi-truck, which Koga would be driving.

Sesshomaru grabbed her hand and pulled her back towards him. "My dad, Koga, and I have checked and re-checked that we have everything and anything we could possibly need," he assured her.

"We have plenty of racing fuel? An extra clutch leaver or two in case I crash and snap it off the bike like I'm prone to do."

"Yes, but you're not going to crash. Hopefully," he added with a laugh. "I'm bringing back-up bikes for the both of you. I have enough spare parts to completely build a bike from the ground up. There's nothing I haven't thought of. Trust me." He kissed her forehead. "We have everything."

Kagome sighed and hugged him. "I'm just worried that we'll forget something."

Sesshomaru shrugged slightly. "There's nothing we could forget that my parents couldn't bring us in the morning. Plus there's the Rock Star Suzuki team rig or a _Yamaha_ shop only a few miles down the road from the track."

Kagome laughed at how Sesshomaru had said 'Yamaha' like it was a dirty word. "Then I guess all there is to do is grab the kids and then hit the road."

 _ ***SHRED***_

"Okay, you guys have your list and we have ours," Kagome said as she tossed her purse into the shopping cart.

"List? What list?" Koga teased.

Kagome shook her head. "The grocery list you were supposed to make so you two don't end up buying the entire store."

"Sheesh, we know how to shop for food," Inuyasha scoffed. "Give us a little credit."

"We're only going to be at the track for two days," Sesshomaru reminded his cousin and younger brother.

"All you really need to pick out are some snacks," Kagome added.

"We know," Koga stated with a sigh before pushing the shopping cart he and Inuyasha were sharing towards the aisle with the chips.

Inuyasha followed a few steps behind him with Kagome watching them closely. "It always makes me nervous turning those two loose on an innocent store," Kagome said before digging her list from her purse.

"Why?" Toshi asked glancing from his mom to his dad.

"They don't exactly know how to behave in public," Kagome explained.

"They're idiots," Sesshomaru added, earning him a look from Kagome.

"Come on," she said, quickly changing the subject as she pushed their cart towards the beverage aisle. "Let's start with the drinks. What would you like Toshi?"

"Red Bull," he answered with a grin.

Kagome laughed and glanced over her shoulder at Sesshomaru, who was holding onto Toshi's hand, with Sakura, who was fast asleep, held securely between his arm and shoulder.

"He's learning how to promote his sponsors," Sesshomaru stated proudly.

"That's _fantastic_." Kagome smiled. "However, I don't think four-year-olds need to be drinking Red Bull. How about Gatorade?"

"The red kind!" Toshi insisted.

Kagome nodded approvingly. "Red Gatorade it is. Sess, any requests?"

"Some of that Sobe Green Tea."

Kagome actually stopped so she could turn to look at him. "So _you're_ the one that's been taking them."

He shrugged the shoulder that Sakura wasn't drooling on, "They were in the fridge and we were out of everything else."

Kagome shook her head, remembering a conversation they'd had when she'd brought the green tea home, how Sesshomaru had claimed he didn't like it. "We've had other things to drink in the house for a while and my Sobe has still gone missing," she mused aloud with a hint of a smile. "You like it, don't you?"

"It's tolerable," he answered with a smirk, allowing Toshi to pull him towards an end-cap full of candy.

"My favorite!" Toshi announced, grabbing a handful of Gummy Bear packages. "Can I have 'em?"

"You can have one," Sesshomaru laughed pulling half a dozen packages out of Toshi's little hands.

"But-"

"Aww, let the kid have whatever he wants," Inuyasha said, stepping around the end of the aisle.

Toshi's face lit up, hoping his parents would listen to his uncle.

"He can have _one_ ," Kagome said taking the package of Gummy Bears Sesshomaru handed her.

Inuyasha gave her a half smile and knelt so that he was closer to Toshi's height. "Tell you what; if you win your motos this weekend I'll buy you a _whole box_ of Gummy Bears."

"Really?" Toshi asked excitedly.

"Yep," Inuyasha nodded.

"Don't tell him things like _that_!" Kagome hissed. "It doesn't matter where he places in his motos this weekend. He's supposed to have fun."

"But a little incentive never hurt anyone," Inuyasha pressed. "He's got a big last name to live up to."

"You're a _horrible_ uncle," Kagome said in annoyance.

"Agreed," Sesshomaru added.

"I just want him to do well this weekend," Inuyasha defended himself. "If he wins this qualifier, he's eligible for the regional, and then nationals."

"It's his _first_ race and he's _four_ ," Kagome reminded him. "If he finishes, you should be happy."

"Hey, no matter what the little punk does I'll be proud of him," Inuyasha promised. "I just think it'd be awesome if he won."

"I'm gonna win," Toshi announced, causing the three adults to smile. "My bike's _real_ fast."

"Only because you ride it that way," Sesshomaru said, ruffling his son's hair.

"I'm going to ride like you," Toshi continued, wrapping an arm around Sesshomaru's knee. "So I'll win."

"Of course you will," Sesshomaru agreed, grinning.

Kagome glared at Inuyasha momentarily before turning back to her cart. "Okay, back to shopping so we can get to the track sometime tonight."

She headed down the aisle and once she was a safe distance away, Inuyasha grabbed another package of Gummy Bears from the shelf and turned towards Toshi.

"What are we going to do this weekend?" he asked holding the candy just out of Toshi's reach.

"Win!" Toshi announced happily.

"Right," Inuyasha said, handing the candy to his nephew.

"Kagome's going to kill you," Sesshomaru warned him, unable to suppress a smile.

"Shut up," Inuyasha scoffed. "You know you want him to win just as much as I do, so don't pretend any different."

Sesshomaru nodded and three headed down the aisle after Kagome, Sakura still sound asleep on Sesshomaru's shoulder.


	2. Chapter 2

Title: Revving Up

Prompt: Dokuga Contest's Cherry on Top Challenge #29-Bubble Gum

Genre: Comedy/Action

AU/CU: Alternate Universe

Rating: T

Warnings: Very mild cursing.

Word Count: 1624

Summary: Setting up camp is a family affair.

 **REVVING UP**

"You're totally good," Inuyasha hollered at Sesshomaru from the rear bumper of the RV, waving Sesshomaru back into their designated campsite.

Since they had a hauler as well, they'd been told to set up camp near the front gate of the grounds where all of the other teams with haulers would be. Anyone with just an RV or camp trailer would be on the opposite side of the track, leaving the Taisho family virtually alone as far as campers went. Sesshomaru tossed the RV into park and set the emergency brake before cutting the engine. He stood and stretched, trying to rid himself of the stiffness that had built up over the four hour long drive. He glanced at the dining table where Kagome sat with Sakura on her lap and Toshi across from them, playing with his toy dirt bikes.

"I'm going to help Inuyasha get Koga parked. If you want you can let the pop-out out. I'm pretty sure there's enough room between us and the fence."

Kagome peered out the window at the chain-link fence, a scant five feet away. "You're sure?"

Sesshomaru nodded. "If you're worried, I'll do it when I get back and do the other stuff."

"I think we can handle it," Kagome said, smiling at Toshi.

"We got it dad," he confirmed, setting aside his toys.

"Alright, I'll be back in a second," Sesshomaru said as he opened the door and disappeared through it.

Toshi jumped down from his seat and quickly gripped Kagome's hand. "Can I push the button?"

"Wouldn't you rather ride in the booth?"

"Can't I do both?" He asked as if it was the obvious option.

Kagome laughed. "You'll have to be quick or you'll miss the ride."

He smiled and moved so he was standing halfway between the button that would start the pop-out moving and his side of the table. He stretched out his arm, sticking his tongue out in concentration as he willed himself to stretch further, and tapped the button with the tips of his fingers. Toshi jumped towards his seat, falling face first into the soft cushion, laughing as he pushed himself up onto his knees. Sakura giggled and squealed as she bounced on Kagome's lap causing her to laugh as well.

"Can we do it again?" Toshi asked excitedly.

"No." Kagome smiled at him. "You'll have to wait until Sunday when we're packing up to go home."

"Sunday? But that's _days_ away," Toshi complained.

"Two days," Kagome laughed. "Today's almost over so you really only have to get through tomorrow."

Toshi frowned but accepted her logic. Sesshomaru returned and Toshi was out of the booth and in front of him before he'd even completely made it into the RV.

"Guess what! I pushed the button for the pop-out and mom said I can do it again on Sunday," Toshi said in a rush, sucking in a deep breath when he was finished.

"Good job," Sesshomaru congratulated him, ruffling his hair. "Want to help me with the jacks?"

"Yeah." Toshi nodded, running in front of Sesshomaru towards the front of the RV.

"Don't push anything until I get there," Sesshomaru warned.

"I won't," Toshi promised over his shoulder.

Kagome stepped into the hauler with Sakura on her hip. It didn't take more than a glance to find Koga and Toshi, they were both crouched next to one of Toshi's bikes.

"Hey guys," Kagome greeted. "Whacha up to?"

"We're making sure everything's right with my bike," Toshi explained, wiping down the forks with a rag. "Dad said we we're going to ride."

"As soon as we get all signed in," Kagome promised.

"Borrrring," Toshi drawled causing both Kagome and Koga to laugh.

"Yes, it's boring, but necessary if you want to race."

"Do I have to go?" Toshi asked, still not glancing up from his task.

"No, if it's okay with Koga, you can stay with him and get your bike ready."

"Can I Koga?" Toshi asked, peering up at him with the look he reserved for getting what he wanted.

"Yeah." Koga grinned. "Of course. I need someone to help me get the bikes out and fueled up. You grab your mom's and I'll take this one."

Toshi laughed hysterically at the thought. "I can't move my _mom's_ bike. It weighs _tons_."

"Oh," Koga said sounding a little disappointed. "I guess I'll have to move it then."

"So you're alright with watching him?" Kagome asked Koga as he stood.

"No problem, any time." Koga smiled. "We'll have the bike's ready when you get back."

"Don't let Toshi near the fuel."

"I won't."

"Can I put my gear on?" Toshi asked.

"Can you wait until I get back?" Kagome asked in return.

"I guess," Toshi replied with a dramatic sigh.

Koga laughed and grinned at Kagome. "I can't imagine which one of you he gets that from."

"His father for sure." Kagome laughed. "Alright, I'll be back in a minute and then we'll get your gear on and go ride."

" 'Kay," Toshi mumbled, immersed in the task of wiping down his bike again.

 _ ***SHRED***_

"When we get back to the house remind me to call Stan with Suzuki and see if he can hook us up with a couple of transponders," Sesshomaru said to Koga as he threw a stack of paperwork onto the counter in the hauler.

"Transponders?" Koga asked.

"Yeah, they have to have them on the bikes if they're racing. I had to put a two hundred dollar deposit on two of them. Plus a forty dollar rental fee for each of them for the weekend," Sesshomaru complained. "I'd rather just show up with my own."

"You'll get the deposits back though right?"

"Yeah. So long as nothing happens to them. Inuyasha's still over at the registration trailer picking them up. We'll have to put them on in the morning before practice. Anyway, I need to go get Sakura from Kagome so she can get dressed. Toshi," Sesshomaru said gaining his attention. "Do you need to go to the bathroom?"

Toshi tried his best to stop his fidgeting as he answered, "No?"

Sesshomaru remained unconvinced. "I think you do."

After a few seconds Toshi nodded. "Yeah."

"Alright, come on." Sesshomaru offered his hand to Toshi.

"I'll take him if you want," Koga offered. "You go get Sakura."

"Thanks," Sesshomaru said before leaving Toshi with Koga.

"Sure. Come on little dude," Koga said as he gripped Toshi's tiny hand in his own. "You're going to learn why outhouses suck."

"I'm not allowed to say _suck_ ," Toshi said seriously.

"Right. Forget I said it too," Koga laughed.

 ** _*SHRED*_**

A few minutes later Kagome returned to the hauler, dressed in her gear, and ready to get Toshi dressed in his. Koga was busy filling the gas tank of Toshi's bike with Toshi a few feet away from him, playing in the dirt. Kagome noticed Toshi's little jaw working as he concentrated on building jumps for his toy bikes.

"Toshi, what are you eating?"

Toshi's eyes went wide, as if he'd been caught doing something he wasn't supposed to and he chewed feverishly five or six times before swallowing whatever it was he had been eating. "Nothing," he said hastily, standing up.

"Toshi," Kagome said, a warning in her tone as she fixed him with her best mom glare.

"Bubble gum," Toshi blurted; his resolve to keep quiet shattering under his mother's look.

Kagome turned to Koga, who up until then, had been carefully sneaking away into the hauler. As if he could feel Kagome's eyes boring into his back, Koga turned and ran a hand nervously through his hair.

"Uh," he began awkwardly before Kagome cut across him.

" _Damn it_ Koga," she hissed.

"You made mom say a bad word." Toshi shook his head at Koga. "You're in _big_ trouble mister."

"Yeah," Koga agreed, doing everything he could not to look at Kagome. "It's nothing new for me pal. I'm always in the dog house with at least one of your parents."

"For very good reasons," Kagome said narrowing her eyes at Koga.

"It's just gum. What's the big deal? People swallow it all the time."

"You know he's too young to have gum, yet for some reason you gave it to him anyway."

"He asked for it."

Kagome shook her head and sighed.

"Can I get my gear on now?" Toshi asked, breaking the tension between his mom and uncle.

"Yeah," Kagome said, her tone softening as she turned her attention on Toshi. "Go get your gear bag." Toshi took off, jumping into the hauler, leaving Kagome and Koga alone. "In the future, I'd appreciate it if you didn't give him gum."

"Alright, I get it. Sorry."

Kagome nodded, frowning. Sesshomaru slowly made his way around the front of the rig, Sakura taking shaky steps in front of him as he held her hands, helping her keep her balance.

"Is Toshi ready to ride?" he asked. After one glance at Kagome he added, "What's wrong?"

"Nothing," Kagome sighed. "Koga's just being Koga."

Koga frowned, but took the hit. He didn't need to piss her off some more. "The bikes are ready," he said finally.

"Then we should get to it," Sesshomaru said slowly, glancing from Kagome to Koga. "The sun's going down and there aren't any lights on the track."

"I'll go make sure Toshi's in his practice gear," Kagome said before making her way into the hauler.

"So, what did you do?" Sesshomaru asked quietly once Kagome was out of earshot.

"Gave Toshi gum."

Sesshomaru shook his head. "I made that mistake once," he admitted somewhat begrudgingly, which made Koga smile.

"So I'm not as stupid as she's making me out to be."

"I wouldn't go _that_ far."


	3. Chapter 3

Title: A Good Day for a Moto

Prompt: Dokuga Contest's Cherry on Top Challenge #2-Chocolate

Genre: Comedy/Action

AU/CU: Alternate Universe

Rating: G

Warnings: None

Word Count: 1973

Summary: The morning of a moto is a busy one, especially when you have two young children involved.

 **A GOOD DAY FOR A MOTO**

The sun was just beginning to brighten the sky when Koga and Inuyasha walked through the door of Sesshomaru and Kagome's R.V.

"Sweet, pancakes," Koga said, rubbing his hands together as he made his way towards the dining table.

"Chocolate chip ones," Toshi announced through a mouthful of pancakes.

"It's _way_ too early," Inuyasha complained.

"Welcome to racing," Sesshomaru said sarcastically as he held up a small piece of pancake on a fork for Sakura.

"Why does the track-walk have to be so freakin' early?" Inuyasha questioned.

"Because practice is at eight," Sesshomaru supplied.

"Dig in guys," Kagome said brightly as she flipped a pancake from the frying pan onto a waiting plate. "There are eggs and bacon on the table."

"Thanks Kags," Koga and Inuyasha chimed in unison, both taking plates stacked high with pancakes.

"Did you get those transponders on the bikes?" Sesshomaru asked his brother.

"Yeah," Inuyasha answered as he heaped scrambled eggs onto his plate. "I dealt with it last night, figured it would save us some time this morning."

"What's a 'sponder?" Toshi asked, scooting further into the booth to make room for his uncle.

"It lets the race officials know how fast you're going on each lap," Sesshomaru explained.

"Oh," Toshi said, contemplating. After a few seconds he asked, "So it pretty much lets them know how much faster I am then the other kids?"

Koga and Inuyasha laughed.

"Exactly," Sesshomaru answered Toshi with a smile.

"He sure has his father's ego," Kagome said, trying not to laugh.

 **X SHRED X SHRED X SHRED X SHRED X SHRED X SHRED X SHRED X SHRED X**

"I'd hit the first hump of the dragon's back with enough speed to jump the second and set yourself up to wheel-tap the third, so you can fly over the forth," Sesshomaru advised Kagome as they stood in the center of a four small jump section of the track. "That way you can keep your speed up for the uphill."

Kagome nodded, holding onto Toshi's hand as he attempted to play in the dirt. "What do you think, third gear?"

"Probably," Sesshomaru contemplated, eyeing the section. "Try it and see what feels best, but leave it at that. You don't want to tip your hand about having a good line. You'll want to try and keep it in third for the hill."

Kagome nodded again and the family continued on their walk of the track. Toshi wasn't paying attention; he wouldn't really need all this strategy for his motos. His were mostly about completing all the laps without falling over. Kagome however had to remember which lines would likely be the fastest, which gears she'd need to be in for every single jump or turn, which turns would be best for passing, and so on. Needless to say, she felt like she was on information overload.

"If I take the inside line of those rollers on the downhill I should be able to pass a few people," Kagome commented.

Sesshomaru shook his head slowly. "It's gonna be tough to hold the inside line and keep any kind of speed. You'll have to really lean on your inside peg to set the outside knobbies into the dirt to get traction. That bowl turn right after that big table top will probably be your best bet for passing. Getting a holeshot will solve any and all issues about passing though," Sesshomaru continued wisely, switching Sakura from one arm to the other, and she promptly laid her head on his shoulder to watch her brother's newest attempt to slip from their mother's grasp.

Toshi leaned heavily away from Kagome, trying to lay all his weight against her arm, hoping she'd let go and he'd be free to finally play. Kagome suddenly leaned with him and Toshi let out a little yelp at his sudden loss of balance.

"Mom!" he complained, grabbing his chest dramatically. "You almost gave me a heart attack."

"Just a little longer and then you'll get to play," Kagome promised with a smile, knowing Toshi's attention span was wearing thin.

"We should probably get back to the rig and get you changed," Sesshomaru said to Kagome. "You're in the second practice group. Are there any sections you want to go over again?"

"No, I'll figure it out in practice," Kagome answered, knowing that even if she did try to cram another strategy into her brain, it wasn't likely to remain there.

The family of four was headed over the finish line jump when the track's P.A. system crackled to life.

"Welcome racers!" A voice said enthusiastically. "Practice starts in ten minutes, eight am, for group A. Group B to follow at ten after."

"I hope Koga's got your bike ready," Sesshomaru said to Kagome as she let Toshi go, allowing him to run down the back side of the finish line jump.

"I'm sure he does. _I_ hope Inu and Izayoi are here to watch Toshi and Sakura so you can help me during practice."

"I told them they needed to be here about seven forty-five."

Inu and Izayoi were indeed waiting at the hauler and once Toshi spotted his grandparents, he sprinted towards them.

"Hey kiddo," Inu greeted warmly, swinging Toshi up into his arms. "How was the track-walk?"

"Boooring," Toshi wailed with a frown. "I just want to race."

"Soon sweetie," Izayoi said before pushing his unruly hair out of his eyes.

"You made it," Kagome greeted, hugging them both.

"Yeah, it's amazing how there's no traffic at two thirty in the morning," Inu said with a yawn.

"You should have come down with us last night." Sesshomaru frowned.

"It's no big deal," Inu said with a wave of his hand. "We're here and that's all that matters."

"Well, I should go get changed," Kagome said.

"Do you need anything dear?" Izayoi asked.

"If you could keep an eye on the brats, that'd be great."

"Of course," Izayoi answered happily.

"I'm not a _brat_!" Toshi hollered.

"Of course not," Kagome laughed, disappearing into the hauler as Toshi tugged at Inu's sweatshirt.

"Guess what!"

"What?" Inu asked.

"They put this thingy on my bike that tells the race people how fast I'm going."

"Wow," Inu said with wide eyes. "How about you show me this amazing device?"

"Okay," Toshi agreed as Inu set him down and then followed the little tike to where his bike was waiting on its stand.

 **X SHRED X SHRED X SHRED X SHRED X SHRED X SHRED X SHRED X SHRED X**

Sesshomaru stood next to Kagome on the starting line while she waited for the go-ahead to line up for her group's practice session. She sat astride her bike, fully geared up, and alternated between lacing her fingers to push her gloves down and shaking her hands out. Sesshomaru watched as she tried to work out her nervous energy.

"Relax," he said softly and gripped her shoulders, massaging them. "It's just practice."

"I think I'm just going to crash right off the bat and get it over with," Kagome said, leaning back slightly into Sesshomaru hands.

"You're not going to crash."

"Remind me why I'm doing this again?"

"Because you wanted to. You said you wanted to race."

"Why did you listen to me?"

Sesshomaru laughed. "I don't remember you being this nervous about doing freestyle at the Monster Games."

"I wasn't. I was a lot younger then."

"It was five years ago," Sesshomaru snorted.

"Most of the kids in my classes are half my age."

"They're not half your age."

"I also didn't have two kids when I was in the Monster Games. What if I get hurt?"

"Kagome," Sesshomaru said soothingly. "You'll be fine. If you feel like you're over your head, just slow down. You're not out here to win; you're here to have a good time. Once you get out on the track you'll calm down."

Kagome shook her hands out and adjusted her Leatt Brace. "If I don't get in at least the top five in lap times, I'm not racing."

"Whatever you want," Sesshomaru said knowing that once Kagome got a couple of laps under her belt her competitive spirit would take over and she'd forget all about this conversation. He patted her on the back a couple of times. "Relax and have fun. I'll be at the top of the hill in the first turn."

"Alright." Kagome nodded and kick-started her bike as did the other twenty plus riders around her.

By the time Sesshomaru made it around the starting gate and up to the first turn, Kagome was already three quarters of the way around the track. Inu, Koga, and Inuyasha were all waiting for him.

"She looked like she was a little antsy," Inu commented.

"She's pretty nervous. Her complaints went from her being too old to race, to being a mom, and everything in between. She also talked about crashing. I told her to take it slow."

"She looks pretty good out there for being that upset about it," Koga observed.

Sesshomaru nodded, smiling as Kagome launched over the triple with enough speed to actually pass another rider in the air. "I knew once she got out there she'd relax."

"She's _way_ too competitive to just back down," Inu said with a grin. "She'll be putting those teenagers in their place soon enough."

"Inuyasha," Sesshomaru began, turning to his younger brother. "Can you run over to the transponder trailer and get a print out of her lap times?"

"Right now?" Inuyasha asked, a hint of disappointment in his tone.

"When she comes off the track," Sesshomaru said, feeling like he was stating the obvious. "She said if she wasn't in the top five, she wasn't going to race."

"I don't think that's going to be a problem," Koga chuckled. "She just jumped into fourth."

"It's just practice," Inu reminded everyone. "No one's going all out. I don't even think Kagome is."

"She's testing lines and figuring out the track," Sesshomaru agreed.

Kagome continued to set down competitive lap times throughout the ten minute practice and came off the track feeling a lot more confident than she did beforehand.

"Well?" Sesshomaru asked as she rode up to him, stopping just long enough for him to swing his leg over the back of the bike and scoot up behind her.

"I felt pretty good," Kagome answered, shifting into first and heading in the direction of the trailer.

Sesshomaru smiled, thinking to himself 'I told you so'.

 **X SHRED X SHRED X SHRED X SHRED X SHRED X SHRED X SHRED X SHRED X**

"First off, thanks for being here," Hayate, the head race official, welcomed. "It goes without saying, but ride safe. We will be strict when it comes to safety issues. With regards to the yellow flags, they mean no jumping and no passing. If you're caught doing so, you will be penalized. You _must_ have a transponder on at all times when on the track. It's _your_ responsibility to make sure that it's working correctly, so make sure you charge the batteries tonight for tomorrow. We have an AMA official here this weekend if you have any questions or disputes. Any questions?"

The large group of riders talked in low voices, but no one spoke up with a question.

"Alright then," Hayate continued. "Let's go racing. The first moto, 65cc 7 to 9 stock, is in twenty minutes."

The riders broke from the group, heading towards their trucks, trailers, and motor-homes.

"Does this mean it's time to race now?" Toshi asked.

"Not for a while. They're just about to start moto one and you're in moto twelve," Kagome explained.

"You're mom has a couple of races before you go," Sesshomaru added.

"Can I hold her pit-board?" Toshi asked.

"No, that's my job. But I think grandpa's going to need some help keeping an eye out for her."

"Cool, I'll help him then. He's old. He probably won't be able to see her."

Kagome bit her lip to keep herself from laughing and Sesshomaru smiled.

"Make sure you tell him that's why you're there to help him," he instructed.

 **X SHRED X SHRED X SHRED X SHRED X SHRED X SHRED X SHRED X SHRED X**

 **A/N:** I'm using the race format from the Loretta Lynn Qualifiers I've been to…makes sense since it's a qualifier Toshi and Kags are racing at. ;P Loretta Lynn is like the Super Bowl for Amateur/Youth motocross racing. In order to race at it, you have to win at qualifier races, which gets you a spot at the regional, which gets you a spot at Loretta Lynn (which is a National). There are three breakdowns of classes depending on your riding ability. The 'A' Class is made up of the kids that are most likely going pro in the next couple of years. The 'B' Class is made up of the kids that aren't quite as good, and then there's the 'C' Class, which is sort of the starting point if you're racing. Then there's a breakdown for the CCs of the bikes; 250cc or 450cc. This is mostly kids (boys) 13-17. The smaller CC classes (85cc, 65cc) all pretty much have only one or two classes; stock and modified. Same with the Vet.'s and Master's classes. There's normally only one women's class 25+ and the bikes can range anywhere from 125cc to 250cc (most are 125's). There's a girl's class that's 12-15 and they're normally on 60cc or 80cc bikes. Okay, that was _a lot_ of information that you probably didn't really need. LOL. What I meant to really explain is the format for the races themselves. Each class has 2 motos in a day (one in the morning and one in the afternoon, both consisting of 7 laps each) and your final position for the event is an average of your placing in both motos. With this format you can do really good in one race and not so good in another, but still place well over all.

First Posted: July 14th 2011


	4. Chapter 4

Title: Holeshots and Tabletops

Prompt: Dokuga Contest's Cherry on Top Challenge #4-Peach

Genre: Comedy/Action

Rating: T

Warnings: Mild profanity

Word Count: 3084

A/N: LOL chapter 4, prompt 4... These things amuse me. :D

Summary: The gate drops on the first motos of the weekend. [AU]

 **HOLESHOTS AND TABLETOPS**

Kagome stood in the hauler with Sesshomaru as he applied tear-offs to her goggles in preparation of her first moto of the day.

"Moto two just left the line," Inuyasha hollered, poking his head into the trailer.

"We're almost ready," Kagome replied. "Is Koga fueling my bike?"

"As we speak."

"Can you do me a favor and make sure someone's got my camera?"

"Yeah, I'll take it if no one else does. Oh shit."

"What?" Both Sesshomaru and Kagome asked.

"My worst nightmare just showed up."

"What?" Kagome asked in confusion, leaving Sesshomaru and walking to the doorway. Bankotsu and Jakotsu were making their way towards their little camp. "Ohmygosh!" Kagome said excitedly, pushing Inuyasha out of the way so she could jump out of the hauler. "Hi guys!"

"Kaggie!" Jakotsu hollered, waving animatedly.

Kagome met them as they stepped under the pop-up sunshades they had set up along the hauler. She pulled Jakotsu into a hug then Bankotsu. "I didn't know you guys were going to come out."

"Neither did we," Bankotsu laughed. "Or at least _I_ didn't until Jak called me last night around midnight."

"I was dinking around online and saw that there was a qualifier out here this weekend. I know you and Sess had been talking about bringing Toshi out to a few races and I assumed you'd be here."

"That's quite a drive for just an assumption," Sesshomaru commented, stepping up to shake Bankotsu's hand, but Jakotsu wouldn't have any of that, and pulled Sesshomaru into a hug.

"It's only about two and a half hours for us," Bankotsu said. "What was it, like five, for you guys?"

"Six with all the pit-stops," Sesshomaru answered, pointing at Kagome accusingly.

"Hey," She protested. "It wasn't my idea to stop and get In and Out."

"It was Toshi's actually," Sesshomaru laughed.

"Where is the little monster?" Jakotsu asked. "When's his moto?"

"He's watching motos with my Dad," Sesshomaru answered, motioning over his shoulder towards the track. "He's not racing until moto twelve."

"And you?" Bankotsu asked Kagome.

"Crap!" She hissed. "I'm in moto five, which is probably supposed to be getting up there."

"We've got plenty of time," Sesshomaru pointed out. "When moto three starts, we'll head over."

Kagome nodded, not looking so sure.

"Just one class each?" Bankotsu asked.

"No, I have two. I'm also in moto nine."

"Busy day." Jakotsu smiled. "Let us know if you need any help."

"I might just take you up on that," Sesshomaru said. "I'm thinking I might need help on the line and everyone else is going to be elsewhere."

"I'd be happy to do it."

"Great. I'm going to go check that we've got everything together," Sesshomaru said, turning towards the hauler. "Your first mission is to keep her calm."

"I'm calm," Kagome said, sounding anything but.

"No problem," Jakotsu said with a grin, saluting Sesshomaru. "How about a shoulder massage Kaggie?"

"Actually, that sounds pretty awesome right now."

"Thought so." Jakotsu winked. "Pull up a chair."

Kagome seated herself in one of the dozen chairs under the sunshades while Jakotsu took up a position behind her, quickly getting to work on her shoulders.

"I think I'm going to go find Inu," Bankotsu said to no one in particular.

"They should be somewhere around the first turn," Kagome offered. "You can see most of the track there."

Bankotsu nodded, but Kagome didn't see because her eyes were closed in pure bliss thanks to the magic Jakotsu was working.

"Okay," Sesshomaru said, stepping out of the hauler with a backpack in one hand and a broom and golf umbrella in the other. "Broom, pit-board, marker, rag, water bottles, umbrella, tool kit, gloves, goggles… Is that everything?"

"I think so," Kagome answered.

"Five minutes, then we'll head over to staging."

"Sounds good," Kagome commented absently causing Sesshomaru to smile.

He started towards where Koga was going over Kagome's bike one last time and mouthed 'thank you' to Jakotsu as he passed him.

 **X SHRED X SHRED X SHRED X SHRED X SHRED X SHRED X SHRED X SHRED X**

While Sesshomaru swept the concrete of Kagome's randomly selected starting gate for the first moto of the 250cc Stock 'B' class, Kagome waited astride her bike with Jakotsu holding an umbrella over her head in an attempt to keep her cool; it was only ten o'clock, but the temperature was already climbing well above ninety.

"Here doll," Jakotsu said as he pulled Kagome's goggles out of the backpack Sesshomaru had left him with.

"Thanks. You're a peach," Kagome said sweetly, taking the offered goggles and pulling them on.

Jakotsu laughed. "Just one of my _many_ outstanding qualities," he said with a Southern Belle-like drawl causing Kagome to laugh and others around them to look. "Oh look, a gentleman caller."

Kagome cracked up all over again as Sesshomaru stepped up to them.

"Do I want to know?" he asked, handing his broom off to Jakotsu.

"Probably not," Kagome answered, getting off her bike so Sesshomaru could push it onto the starting line.

"Just do the same thing you did in practice," Sesshomaru instructed as Kagome tossed her leg over her bike again. "It's not much of a hill, but start in first anyway. Shift gears like there's no tomorrow, but remember you'll probably need to be in second, maybe even first if you're towards the back of the pack, for the first turn."

Kagome nodded, acknowledging his instructions as she pulled off the first of her tear-offs. Jakotsu stood behind them using the pit-board to fan down Kagome's back while they waited for the signal for her to start her bike. It finally came and Kagome kickstarted her bike along with the other sixteen riders in this moto. Sesshomaru thumped the top of her helmet, then joined Jakotsu several feet back from the starting gate. The thirty-second board girl ran out into the center of the track and held the board over her head. Kagome watched her until she turned the board sideways and ran off track, signaling that the gate would drop in roughly fifteen seconds, and then she focused on her starting gate and twisted her throttle until the rev-limiter protested. Her timing had to be perfect. Too early and she'd get stuck on the gate. Too late and she'd probably be darn near last heading into the first turn.

The gate dropped and Kagome let her clutch out in one quick movement of her fingers, sending her bike flying forward in a wheelie. Before her front wheel had touched the ground again, she was already in third gear, only her sheer will to say on the bike keeping her on the seat. The first turn came up quickly and she stuck her right leg out towards her front wheel to help her balance around the turn. She made it around cleanly and tore off up the small section of whoops with only six riders in front of her. She managed to pass a rider over the only triple jump on the track and gain fifth place. She was still holding it when she flew past Sesshomaru on her first full lap of the track.

'Damn,' she cursed, realizing how hard it was to read a pit-board when you're hauling ass down a rutted track with riders all around you. She couldn't be certain, but she _thought_ Sesshomaru had written 'relax'. On her second, third, and forth trips by, he hadn't written anything new; but on the fifth lap he wrote 'ATTACK' in big, bold letters. Kagome kicked into a completely different gear mentally and managed to work herself up to third by the time she reached Sesshomaru again. His message this time: '2 to go! Keep it up!'. And so that's what she did for the remaining two laps, finishing third.

"Fantastic job!" Sesshomaru cheered when he met her in the checkpoint line after she'd rode off the track.

"I know!" Kagome smiled. "I'm so surprised."

"You relaxed so much right near the end," Sesshomaru praised her.

"You even pulled a tear-off over the triple," Jakotsu added, grinning.

"I don't know, things just…clicked after a few laps."

"Well, whatever it was, remember the feeling so you can duplicate it in your other three motos today," Sesshomaru said.

Jakotsu quickly got out the umbrella and handed Kagome a water bottle.

" _Holy cow_ I'm out of shape," she whined as she twisted off the bottle cap of the water. "By the third lap, I was feeling it. I'm not sure how I'm going to manage another seven motos this weekend."

"We'll just keep you cool and hydrated, and you should do fine. You've been riding every day for a month. You're in shape; it's just your nerves of the first race. The second one will be easier."

Kagome nodded, too busy gulping down water to answer Sesshomaru.

 **X SHRED X SHRED X SHRED X SHRED X SHRED X SHRED X SHRED X SHRED X**

After her second moto, Kagome cautiously rode her bike under the shade canopies to where Koga was waiting with a bike stand. Sesshomaru, who was seated behind Kagome on her bike, got off first and tossed his ever-present backpack into an empty chair.

"Hey, there were some kids here a while ago looking for you," Koga said, taking Kagome's bike from her. "Looking for autographs I think."

"Oh yeah?" Sesshomaru questioned.

Koga nodded. "I told them to come back after the women's moto."

As if on cue, a group of five kids warily approached the trailer.

"Hi guys," Kagome greeted warmly.

She got a couple of timid hellos back and smiled when the kids recognized Sesshomaru.

"Hey," he greeted, stepping next to Kagome.

He received much more energetic answers, which caused Kagome's smile to widen.

"Are you Sesshomaru Taisho?" A boy of about eight asked.

"That I am," Sesshomaru answered. "What can I do for you?"

"We were, um, wondering if we could maybe, if it's okay, get your autograph."

"Sure," Sesshomaru said easily. "Let me get a marker."

Five little heads bobbed in agreement and Sesshomaru disappeared into the hauler to find a Sharpie.

"Congrats on the win Kaggie!" Jakotsu chirped as he, Bankotsu, and Inuyasha wandered into their makeshift camp.

"Thanks!" Kagome smiled.

"You won by almost ten seconds," Inuyasha informed Kagome as he walked passed her and promptly flopped down in a vacant chair.

"I knew I had a good lead when I lapped a couple girls, but I didn't know it was _that_ good."

"You kicked ass," Bankotsu said grinning. "You defiantly found your rhythm in the women's class."

Kagome shrugged. "I hope I can keep the momentum up in the second motos this afternoon."

"Alright," Sesshomaru said, returning to the group of kids. "Who wants an autograph?"

The kids moved forward, meeting Sesshomaru halfway.

"Are you racing in the pro class tomorrow?" One little boy asked as Sesshomaru signed the back of his friend's t-shirt.

"No, just Kagome and Toshi, my son, are racing this weekend," Sesshomaru answered, moving onto the next kid's shirt.

"Are you going to do any freestyle?" Another asked.

"I wasn't planning on it," Sesshomaru laughed.

"Oh," the kid said, clearly disappointed.

"Oh hey," the first kid said, pointing at Jakotsu and then Bankotsu. "You're famous too!"

"Famous is a big word," Jakotsu chuckled.

"But you do FMX too!"

"Bankotsu won the Steel City Showdown," one of the kids pointed out.

"Only 'cause Sesshomaru wasn't there," another quipped.

"What devoted fans you have Sesshomaru," Bankotsu murmured.

"What can I say?" Sesshomaru shrugged, looking smug. "They clearly know who the best is."

"That's a matter of opinion."

"Well, there you go kids," Sesshomaru said, finishing signing the last kid's shirt.

"Thanks!" Five little voices said in unison.

"Sure." Sesshomaru grinned down at them.

The kids took off, talking excitedly about meeting _the_ Sesshomaru Taisho.

"Now that you're fan club's left," Kagome teased. "You should probably go check in with your mom and make sure Sakura's behaving for her."

Sesshomaru nodded. "Do you need anything?"

"No," Kagome shook her head. "I'm going to go find Inu and start getting Toshi ready for his moto."

"Inu said he was going to stay and watch motos," Jakotsu offered.

"I guess I'll head over to the track then."

"I'll go with you," Inuyasha offered, jumping to his feet.

Kagome couldn't help but grin at his eagerness. He still was uncomfortable being left alone with Jakotsu; he just couldn't take Jakotsu's teasing and flirting. "Alright then, come on. Toshi still has to get dressed in his gear."

"I don't think you'll have a problem getting that kid dressed in gear today," Inuyasha commented as he and Kagome started towards the track. "All he's been talking about this morning is racing."

"I know. He's so excited. I just hope it goes well."

"He'll do great," Inuyasha said confidently. "He rids better than most kids his age."

"It's a tough track."

"He'll be fine Kags." Inuyasha wrapped an arm around Kagome's shoulders. "He's only going to be doing about ten miles per hour."

"I know. I'm just being a mom."

 **X SHRED X SHRED X SHRED X SHRED X SHRED X SHRED X SHRED X SHRED X**

"Now, what do we do when the gate drops?" Sesshomaru asked Toshi as he held his bike for him so he could climb on it.

"Twist this as far as it will go," Toshi answered, twisting the throttle to indicate what he was talking about.

"Right," Sesshomaru said with a grin. "You're going to go around the track three times, until you see the black and white checkered flag."

"I _know_ dad," Toshi said, exasperated, placing his feet on the aluminum blocks on either side of his bike that helped him keep his balance and hold his bike up since his feet couldn't otherwise touch the ground.

Sesshomaru rechecked that Toshi's impact vest was snug, and then checked the strap on his helmet. "I'm going to be on the track if you need me. Grandpa, Mommy, uncle Inuyasha, cousin Koga, Bankotsu, and Jakotsu are going to be out there too."

"I going to jump over the finish line," Toshi decided.

"You're going to ride safe," Sesshomaru ordered. "Or you won't be racing anymore."

"I'll be safe," Toshi sighed. "But I want to have fun. I want to jump as high as Mommy did."

Sesshomaru shook his head. "Toshi-"

"I know! Be safe."

Sesshomaru nodded and adjusted Toshi's goggles. "Right." The girl with the thirty-second board moved out onto the track. "Alright, start your bike. Good luck."

Toshi nodded once quickly and started his bike. Sesshomaru only took a few steps back so that he would still be close if Toshi needed help.

"Is this his first race?" Another dad asked Sesshomaru.

"Yeah," Sesshomaru answered, never taking his eyes from Toshi.

"They all want to ride like the big boys," the other dad laughed. "Thank God for governors."

"Definitely," Sesshomaru agreed, thinking of how he had doubled checked that Toshi hadn't messed with his.

The throttle governor made it so you could limit the speed of the 50cc bikes, making them safer to ride. Toshi knew where it was and how to change it. Toshi didn't miss much when it came to figuring out how to go faster. The thirty-second board went sideways and Sesshomaru was proud to watch Toshi's little visor dip as he focused on the gate in front of him. The gate dropped and Toshi took off before any of the other five kids, giving him a decent lead into the first turn. Toshi handled the track well, keeping his balance through the whoops and turns. His only problem came when he got to the large jump three quarters of the way around the track; Sesshomaru had to push his bike up it every lap. When Toshi was heading to the final jump and saw that the checkered flag was waving, he gunned it, pushing his little bike for all it was worth and managed to catch a fair amount of air over the jump. He landed hard, since his bike didn't have the power to carry him very far, and wobbled but managed to keep it on two wheels. The whole family was waiting for him when he rode through the track exit and into the impound area.

"What did I say about jumping?" Sesshomaru asked, grabbing the handlebars of Toshi's bike to hold it up for him.

"You said be safe, not to not jump," Toshi offered.

"You almost crashed," Kagome said with her voice full of worry. "You freaked me out."

"Sorry," Toshi apologized. "but I wanted to jump mom."

"Your bike can't handle these jumps Toshi. You don't have the power to get up them," Sesshomaru lectured.

"So let me go faster."

Sesshomaru shook his head, frowning. "I think you're going fast enough."

"Yeah, you left all the other kids in the dust," Inuyasha said excitedly, gaining a glare from both Sesshomaru and Kagome, as well as Inu. "Congrats on the W little guy," he continued, un-phased by their looks.

"Thanks," Toshi said grinning. "Do I get a trophy?"

"If you win the over-all," Inu answered.

"Actually, I think all the kids in the 50's class get trophies," Kagome said.

"That's bull. Only the top three should get them," Inuyasha said.

"Inuyasha," Inu said sternly. "Shut up."

"I'm just saying-"

"And so am I. Shut. Up."

"Fine. Jeesh."

The race official gave the kids the go-ahead to leave the impound area and Sesshomaru motioned for Toshi to scoot forward on his seat, and then straddled the back of the bike. "We'll talk about this back at the trailer."

"I'll take him back," Kagome offered and Sesshomaru moved out of her way. "My legs aren't as long as yours."

Kagome took a hold of the handlebars and sat behind Toshi. "We'll see you over there." Sesshomaru nodded as Kagome started Toshi's bike. "Feet up, Toshi." Toshi picked up his feet so Kagome could put her feet on the pegs, and then put his feet on top of hers as she started towards the trailer.

"Is dad mad?" Toshi asked after a minute.

"He's not mad," Kagome answered. "He's just worried about you. He doesn't want you to crash. None of us do. We want you to be safe."

"I don't want to crash either. I just want to jump."

"You can jump at home off your ramps, but the jumps here are too big."

Toshi thought this over for a second then said, "Dad said I couldn't race anymore if I wasn't safe."

"We'll talk to him about it," Kagome assured him.

"So I can race again?"

"Maybe. Are you going to jump anymore?"

"Only at home," Toshi promised.

"Then he'll probably let you race again."

"Can we have tuna samishes for lunch?"

Kagome smiled. "Sure."

First Posted on: August 6th 2011


	5. Chapter 5

Title: Braaap!

Prompt: Dokuga Contest's Cherry on Top Challenge #21-Mud Pie

Genre: Comedy/Action

Rating: G

Warnings: None

Word Count: 1498

Summary: Shenanigans in between moto sets and the second motos of the day. [AU]

 **BRAAAP!**

Sesshomaru fired up the pressure washer and started spraying down Kagome's bike. It was important to keep the bikes clean in between motos. Inu was a few feet away wiping down Toshi's freshly washed bike before the water could dry and leave spots on the plastic. Toshi had been helping, but the puddle, and the mud it contained, was far more enticing then cleaning his bike.

"Toshi, stay out of the mud-" Inu began to say just as Toshi jumped into the puddle. He smiled. "Never mind."

"It's like quicksand," Toshi giggled, picking up one foot then the other, stomping them down to splash water everywhere.

"Don't sink," Inu joked.

"It's not _real_ quicksand," Toshi said as he bent and picked up a handful of sandy mud. "See?"

Inu nodded. "You're mom's probably not going to be too happy that you're muddy."

Toshi gave Inu a worried look. "But I can't get in trouble," he complained, the memory of the talk his parents had had with him just half an hour before was still fresh in his mind.

"Maybe you should make her a mud pie," Inu offered.

"What's a mud pie?"

"What? You've never made a mud pie?" Inu teased, sounding shocked.

"No. Show me."

Inu squatted down and scooped up a handful of mud, then moved it back and forth between his hands, patting it, until it resembled a hamburger patty. Toshi watched intently. "Just like that."

Toshi grabbed a handful of mud then mimicked what Inu had done. "Like this?"

"Yeah. That's the best one I've ever seen," Inu praised.

Toshi smiled. "I'll show dad!" Toshi took off, splashing through the puddle until he reached Sesshomaru, then he tugged on the back of Sesshomaru's shirt with his free hand. "Dad!" he shouted over the pressure washer.

Sesshomaru turned and Toshi proudly held up his handful of mud.

"Mud pies huh?" Sesshomaru asked.

"Yeah, grandpa showed me how."

"Did he?" Sesshomaru glanced back at Inu, who was smiling. "Nice dad."

"It's what I'm here for," he replied.

"It's for mom," Toshi said, pulling Sesshomaru attention back to him.

"She's going to love it." Sesshomaru messed Toshi's hair. "She's probably done making your lunch, go take it to her and wash up."

"Alright," Toshi said, already jogging towards the motor home.

Once he was out of sight, Sesshomaru turned to Inu again. "Kagome specifically told me not to let him get wet."

"He's a kid, it's what they do," Inu offered. "Besides, I know for a fact that she packed enough gear changes for that kid for a week's worth of motos."

Sesshomaru nodded, smirking as he returned to washing Kagome's bike.

 **X SHRED X SHRED X SHRED X SHRED X SHRED X SHRED X SHRED X SHRED X**

"Mom!" Toshi hollered as he climbed up the steps of the motor home. "I brought you a mud pie!"

"Oh…" Kagome gave Toshi a weak smile, taking in his muddy gear. "Thank you, but how about we keep it outside?"

"Alright," Toshi agreed easily and moved back outside.

"While you're out there take off your muddy gear."

"Kay." Toshi set Kagome's mud pie on the bottom step of the motor home, and then yanked his jersey over his head.

"Does he have fresh gear?" Izayoi asked Kagome.

"Yeah," Kagome answered, placing a paper plate with a sandwich on the dining table. "In his gear bag in the trailer. Do you mind making sure he eats this while I go get him another set?"

"No, not at all," Izayoi replied as she fed Sakura.

Kagome headed outside as Toshi was struggling to get his MX pants over his shoes.

"Here," she offered, kneeling down to slip off Toshi's shoes.

"Grandpa taught me how to make mud pies," Toshi told her, pulling his MX pants over his feet.

"You made a nice one," Kagome commented, glancing at the glob of mud on the step. "I'm going to go get you some clean gear. I made your tuna sandwich and grandma has it for you at the table."

"Awesome." Toshi smiled then scrambled up the steps into the motor home. "Thanks."

"You're welcome."

Kagome gathered up Toshi's muddy gear and headed around to the hauler where she threw it onto the floor near Toshi's gear bag. She pulled out a new jersey and MX pant set, and then grabbed a matching pair of gloves, switching them out for the set he'd used in the morning. When she stepped back out of the hauler, Sesshomaru was pushing her bike back towards its stand, Inu close behind with Toshi's bike.

"I see Toshi found you," Sesshomaru commented, nodding to the clean gear in Kagome's hands.

"Oh yes. He brought me a mud pie."

Inu laughed. "He was already in the mud when I showed him how to make one."

"I don't doubt it. He's not happy if he isn't dirty. I'm just happy he got through half the day with only one gear change."

"The day's not over yet," Sesshomaru reminded her.

 **X SHRED X SHRED X SHRED X SHRED X SHRED X SHRED X SHRED X SHRED X**

After finishing fourth in her second 250 stock 'B' class and winning her second women's class, Kagome stood in the first corner of the track with Inu, camera in hand, waiting for the gate to drop on Toshi's second moto.

"I'm glad you decided to let him ride," Inu commented as Kagome took a few pictures of Sesshomaru helping Toshi on the line.

"He understood that he needs to ride safely otherwise he's not going to be allowed to, so there wasn't any reason not to give him a second chance."

"He reminds me so much of how Sesshomaru was when he was little." Inu smiled. "We were constantly getting on his case about being reckless. Eventually we just let him wreck. Well, I did. Izayoi wasn't too keen on the idea."

"I can imagine," Kagome laughed. "I'm not on board with that idea either."

"You moms baby them too much."

"Maybe, but I've spent enough time in the ER with his father. I don't need to accumulate any hours with Toshi."

"You've accumulated some hours yourself," Inu reminded her.

"I'm older and wiser now." Kagome winked at him.

"Sure…" Inu teased.

The thirty-second board went sideways and Kagome pointed her camera at the starting line once more, ready for Toshi to take off. The gate dropped and Toshi again got the holeshot and led the group into the first turn.

"Good job!" Kagome yelled while Inu clapped and whistled.

"He's got the gate down," Inu said with pride. He and Sesshomaru had spent the last two weeks working with Toshi on his starts. Even going so far as to put in two different starting gates at home, one on concrete and one on dirt, so he would be ready for whichever the track had.

Toshi headed through the whoops and then up the hillside, with Kagome snapping pictures the whole time. Sesshomaru ran across the track to the big tabletop where he would have to help Toshi, and Kagome couldn't help but take a couple pictures of him as he jumped over the hay bales that lined the top of a bowl turn. Toshi disappeared behind the hilly terrain and didn't reappear for almost a full minute.

"I hate these blind spots on the track," Kagome complained.

"That's the thing with these kids classes; they take _forever_ to make a lap. It's hard to make a good lap time when your bike can only go ten miles per hour. But if he'd gone down they would have announced it over the PA and besides, Koga's over there."

"Don't even say that." Kagome frowned at him.

"I said _if_." He gripped her shoulders and squeezed them. "Relax."

Kagome nodded, but didn't relax at all. Watching Toshi race was more nerve-wracking then racing herself. Toshi reached the big tabletop and Sesshomaru gripped the back fender of his bike and pushed him up the face of the jump, then Toshi disappeared into another blind spot on the backside of the track. Kagome and Inu turned towards the section of the track where Toshi would once again appear. Toshi rode into view then up and over the finish line jump. Toshi continued his fast pace, compared to the other racers, and finished the last of his three laps in first place.

"Awesome job buddy!" Inu congratulated Toshi once they were back at the trailer.

"I won my overall!" Toshi answered jumping up and down. "That means I get the biggest trophy!"

"Hey, hold still," Kagome laughed as she attempted to undo Toshi's helmet.

"I say we go out to dinner to celebrate." Inu decided. "My treat of course."

"Well if you're paying-" Inuyasha began.

"Like you ever pay for anything," Sesshomaru said, taking Sakura from Izayoi.

"I pay for things," Inuyasha retorted.

"Can we have cheese burgers?" Toshi asked around the washcloth Kagome was using to wipe the dust off his face.

"Sure, you can have whatever you want," Inu answered.

"Awesome!" Toshi cheered.

First Posted on: September 7th 2011


	6. Chapter 6

Title: Celebrate!  
Prompt: #1-Vanilla (Dokuga_contest's Cherry on Top Challenge)  
Genre: Humor  
Rating: T  
Word Count: 1,415  
Summary: It's time to celebrate a great day's worth of racing. [AU]

 **CELEBRATE!**

"I'm so hungry, I could eat a hippo," Toshi announced as the Taisho family, packed into Inu's truck, left the track.

"I think you mean a horse," Sesshomaru corrected, handing Sakura her favorite stuffed bear.

"Well, I could eat one of those too. I'm _starving_!"

"Too bad I left the siren and lights at home, otherwise we could have gotten you to a restaurant a lot quicker," Inu teased, glancing at his grandson in the review mirror. "You must have worked up quite the appetite with all that winning today."

"I did," Toshi confirmed. "Drive faster grandpa."

"I'm driving as fast as the speed limit allows bud," Inu said with a chuckle. "I promise we'll stop at the first restaurant I see."

"I hope they has burgers," Toshi mused aloud. "I'm gonna eat three!"

Sesshomaru laughed as Toshi bounced in his car seat. "How about one cheeseburger and some french-fries?"

"Dad, I'm _starving_."

"Well, let's start with one and then go from there," Sesshomaru reasoned.

Toshi made a face as he thought over what his father had proposed, then suddenly blurted, "When am I going to get my trophy?"

Sesshomaru, amazed at how fast Toshi switched topics, grinned. "I'm sure they'll hand them out on Sunday."

"Mine's gonna be the biggest right?"

Sesshomaru lifted one shoulder, and let it fall. "You were the over-all winner for the day, it should be bigger than the others, but you'll just have to wait and see."

"What about the losers? What do they get?"

"Nobody's a _loser_ ," Kagome said with a motherly sigh.

"Then why is there a first place?"

"If you finish the race, you're a winner. Some are just bigger winners then others," Kagome explained.

"That's dumb." Toshi's blunt statement had both Inu and Sesshomaru grinning, Sesshomaru even chuckled a little until he received a glare from Kagome.

"Everyone did their best, so everyone gets a trophy," Sesshomaru said to appease his wife, even though he wasn't on the same page in her 'Everybody's a Winner' book. He was too competitive to believe that, and Kagome was too, but they'd agreed that Toshi needed to learn that even if you lost, you still achieved something. This lesson would have been a whole lot easier to teach if Toshi hadn't been the kid winning.

"Hey look, a Denny's," Inu said, steering the conversation away from winning and trophies.

"Yay!" Toshi cheered, the previous conversation forgotten. "Food!"

"Do you two ever feed this poor kid?" Inu joked.

"He had a sandwich a couple of hours ago," Kagome answered. "He's never full."

"Wait until he's a teenager," Izayoi warned with a laugh. "He'll eat you out of house and home."

"Sesshomaru and Inuyasha were the same way," Inu added. "Those two would have the groceries completely eaten before you had the chance to set the bags on the counter."

"You must be confusing my eating habits for Inuyasha's," Sesshomaru said with a grin.

"You were both _pigs_ ," Inu said, which had Toshi laughing. The little tike then proceeded to make 'oinking' and 'snorting' sounds, causing his sister to laugh and join in too.

"Thanks," Sesshomaru mumbled.

Inu laughed. "It's what I'm here for."

Inu pulled the truck into the parking lot of the Denny's, and everyone proceeded to pile out of its interior, Sesshomaru pulling Sakura out of her car seat, while Kagome helped Toshi from his. Koga and Inuyasha pulled into the parking lot a few seconds later, having followed them in the truck that hauled the trailer. Toshi started to run towards the truck, but Sesshomaru, with Sakura held in one arm, gripped the back of his shirt.

"Whoa there shortstop, how about we let them get parked first?"

Toshi strained against Sesshomaru's grip, but out of fun rather than protest. He planted his feet and leaned forward, laughing as Sesshomaru would let him fall forward slightly, and then jerk him to a stop.

"Denny's?" Koga questioned as he and Inuyasha made their way towards the rest of the family.

"Toshi insisted that he wanted a burger and that he was _starving_ ," Inu explained. "And this was the first place I saw."

"Starving?" Inuyasha asked his nephew.

"Yeah," Toshi answered, bouncing towards his uncle when Sesshomaru released the back of his shirt. "I'm gonna eat three burgers!"

"Three?" Inuyasha gasped. "Even I can't eat three."

" _I_ can," Toshi boasted with a cocky smirk, and then frowned. "But dad said I could only have one."

"He's the champ of the day, he won all of his motos; don't you think the little guy deserves to order whatever he wants?" Koga asked Sesshomaru.

"Just because he won doesn't mean he needs to waste food," Kagome answered, glaring at Koga.

"How about we go get a booth so this ravenous beast can eat?" Inu asked, whisking Toshi off his feet, much to the four-year-old's delight.

"Hey uncle Yasha," Toshi said over Inu's shoulder as he passed by Inuyasha.

"What's up buddy?" Inuyasha asked, holding the door for everyone.

"Do you have my gummy bears you promised me?"

Inuyasha shook his head, glancing at Kagome's back to see if she had overheard Toshi's question.

"Uh-" he stammered.

"You said if I won my races, you'd buy me a bunch of gummy bears, remember?"

"Well, I've been at the track with you, so I haven't had time to get them yet, but I will," Inuyasha promised.

Toshi nodded, excited by the prospect of getting some gummy bears soon and Inu turned slightly to frown at Inuyasha before he followed the others towards their booth. Sesshomaru nudged the back of Inuyasha's knee with his own; forcing Inuyasha's to give out.

"You are _beyond_ lucky that Kagome didn't overhear that little exchange."

"I know," Inuyasha agreed. "I'm going to have to find a Vons or something on the way back to the track."

"This is _exactly_ why Kagome doesn't want you telling him things like that."

"I know, I know. I'll handle it."

Sakura reached towards her uncle, opening and closing her little hands.

"Burs, burs," she demanded.

"Burs, huh?" Inuyasha asked, holding out his hand so Sakura could grab onto it.

"She wants gummy bears too," Sesshomaru translated.

"No gummy bears for you missy," Inuyasha cooed.

Sakura made a face, promptly released Inuyasha's fingers, and clung to her father's neck.

"Making fans wherever you go," Sesshomaru remarked, rubbing his free hand up and down Sakura's back as she pouted.

"Aww, Sakura, don't be like that," Inuyasha whined, pouting himself.

"Come on, let's go sit down before you have all the kids crying," Koga said, shoving Inuyasha forward.

Inuyasha drug his feet, but followed Koga's instruction, and headed after everyone else.

 **XshredX XshredX XshredX**

"Can I get anyone desert?" The waitress asked with a bright smile.

"Sundae!" Toshi hollered, having seen a picture of one in the menu and been denied his request to order one for dinner.

"No Toshi," Kagome said, her voice soft but firm. "I'd like to get some sleep tonight."

"Let the kid have a sundae," Inu said. "We can take them to the pool at the hotel and he can burn some of the sugar off before you head back to the track."

Kagome opened her mouth to protest, but Izayoi cut across her. "Or better yet, we'll keep the kids tonight. You had a long day too."

"I don't know," Kagome began.

"Are you sure you wouldn't mind?" Sesshomaru asked a little too quickly.

"Of course not." Izayoi smiled. "We'd love to have them. That way you can rest up for tomorrow."

"So…a sundae then?" The waitress asked.

"Yes, two please," Inu answered.

"Vanilla and hot fudge?"

"Yes."

"Awesome!" Toshi cheered, as the waitress left to retrieve his sundae.

"Well, you're definitely keeping them now. They'll be bouncing off the walls for the next few hours," Kagome said with a sigh.

"That was my plan all along," Inu said.

"Great plan dad," Inuyasha laughed. "Get them all hopped up on sugar, and then offer to keep them overnight."

"We're getting the better end of the bargain," Sesshomaru said under his breath.

"You'll have Toshi at the track by seven?" Kagome questioned, elbowing Sesshomaru in the ribs.

"Of course. You did bring Sakura's diaper bag with us, right?"

"Yeah, it's in the truck," Sesshomaru answered.

"We could give you guys a ride back to the track," Koga offered. "Save Inu a trip over there."

"It's settled then," Inu stated. "The kids are with us for the night. Party!"

"Yeah, party!" Toshi echoed.

First Posted on: December 20th 2011


	7. Chapter 7

Title: Seize the Night  
Prompt: #7-Blue Moon (Dokuga_contest's Cherry on Top Challenge)  
Genre: Humor/Romance/Hentai  
Rating: MA  
Warnings: Adult content.  
Word Count: 1,825  
Summary: Sesshomaru and Kagome take advantage of their alone time. [AU]

 **SEIZE THE NIGHT**

Having left Toshi and Sakura with Inu and Izayoi for the night, Sesshomaru and Kagome got a ride back to the track with Koga and Inuyasha. Once Koga pulled the truck to a stop next to the trailer, the group piled out of the cab and Kagome stretched, yawning.

"Tired?" Koga asked, stretching also.

Kagome nodded. "Chasing two kids around all day will do that to you."

"Racing four motos probably played a pretty big part of it too," Inuyasha added.

"And I get to do it all over again tomorrow," Kagome said with a smile and a hint of excitement.

Sesshomaru took Kagome's hand in his and started in the direction of their motorhome. "Well, goodnight."

"Where's the fire?" Inuyasha asked.

"Probably in his pants," Koga answered, grinning.

"Ew." Inuyasha made a face.

"Don't be a perv," Kagome scolded.

Sesshomaru, ignoring his cousin, continued on his way, gently pulling Kagome with him.

"Hope you're not _too_ tired Kags," Koga called to her as Sesshomaru opened the door of the motorhome.

"Goodnight Koga," Sesshomaru said coolly, climbing into the motorhome behind Kagome once he'd ushered her inside.

Koga made an obnoxious cat call, and then started laughing.

"Sometimes," Kagome began as she slipped out of her flip flops. "your cousin can be such an idiot."

"Agreed," Sesshomaru said, watching intently as Kagome unzipped her hoodie, amazed at how she managed to make such a simple, everyday action seem sensual without even trying.

"What?" Kagome asked after she tossed her sweatshirt onto the pullout couch. "You've got the weirdest look on your face."

Sesshomaru smiled. "You're beautiful."

Kagome tisked. "Oh no mister, not tonight. I'm exhausted and I have to be up bright and early to race."

"Kags," Sesshomaru said, adding a particular tone to it that he knew she couldn't resist. "We almost never get any time to ourselves."

"No wonder you were so quick to pawn the kids off on your parents."

Sesshomaru's smile turned into a fanged grin as he stepped closer. "Let's not waste our blue moon moment."

Kagome laughed at that, and Sesshomaru took the opportunity to get closer, slipping his arms around her and pulling her into him.

"Sesshomaru-"

"You know I can change your mind," Sesshomaru said with a confident swagger in his voice. He _would_ get what he wanted.

Kagome opened her mouth to protest, and then closed it again; frowning. He was right. Damn it. Sesshomaru's lips pressed against the sensitive skin of Kagome's neck and she arched into him despite her best efforts to remain unaffected.

"See?" He asked, and Kagome turned her head, her lips finding his.

She kissed him thoroughly, leaving them both panting for breath.

"Nothing too wild though," Kagome instructed.

Sesshomaru nodded, his hands already working the buttons of her flannel shirt. Kagome fumbled with the button of Sesshomaru's jeans and he smirked against her neck.

"I have to admit, I thought you'd be a little tougher to convince," he said, amused.

"I should be, but unfortunately, you know how to push my buttons too well."

Sesshomaru gently bit Kagome's earlobe and was rewarded with a moan.

"Like that?" he asked, his breath warm against her skin.

"Yeah," she panted, a little annoyed that he could still get under her skin so easily.

He was right, it _had_ been awhile, and she hadn't realized it until now, but she needed it. She needed him.

"I love you," Sesshomaru murmured, deftly undoing her jeans before his hands slipped into them, on either side of her hips, and slowly began to push them down.

Kagome used Sesshomaru's shoulder to balance herself as she stepped out of her jeans, one leg at a time. Her flannel quickly found its way to the floor, her tank top following just as hastily, leaving her standing before him in just her underwear.

"You're beautiful," Sesshomaru said once more, his eyes darkening with desire.

Kagome responded with a shy smile, and reached out to him, slipping her hands under his t-shirt. "I could say the same thing about you."

Sesshomaru frowned. "I'm not sure I want to be called beautiful."

Kagome laughed. "No, handsome would probably me more appropriate."

Sesshomaru grinned, his hands finding Kagome's underneath his shirt. "Better," he murmured, pulling Kagome's hands from his chest and then let them go.

Kagome frowned slightly until Sesshomaru quickly pulled his t-shirt over his head, then her smile returned as her hands slip up his now bare chest. Sesshomaru eased her backward in the general direction of the bed at the back of the motorhome, his hands roaming her body freely. Kagome trailed one hand up Sesshomaru's chest, then to the back of his neck, pulling his mouth down to hers. The kiss was unhurried, but full of promise. Kagome gently bit Sesshomaru's bottom lip, smiling when Sesshomaru groaned.

"Kagome-" he breathed, fisting his hands in her hair, dragging her face towards his once more. He kissed her roughly, thoroughly, leaving Kagome's legs weak.

"Mmm," she moaned against his lips as the backs of her knees found the bed.

Sesshomaru's fingertips gently slipped down Kagome's naked back until they found the clasp of her bra, unhooking it. His hands then slipped back up to her shoulders and pulled the straps down her arms. Once he had it free, he tossed the bra aside and gently laid Kagome down on the bed, his body hovering over her. He trailed kisses across her jaw, down her neck, across her collarbone, and finally her breasts. He bent his head, and tongued her right nipple until she groaned and arched her back, offering him full access. Sesshomaru closed his mouth over one aching nipple, then the other, and at the same time, slipped his hand inside her panties. Kagome moaned, her eyes half-closed as she tilted her head back, her body arching further from the mattress. He pulled away suddenly, moving down Kagome's body until he knelt on the floor between her knees which hung off the edge of the bed. Sesshomaru slipped his hands up Kagome's legs, starting at her knees, until his finders brushed against the waistband of her panties on her hips. Hooking a forefinger on either side, Sesshomaru dragged Kagome's panties downward. She aided in slipping her legs from them and Sesshomaru tossed them aside. Once the panties were gone, he eased her legs apart and with the heel of his palm, made slow circles at her center until she was wet with need for him. Sesshomaru draped her legs over his shoulders, squeezing her butt slightly as he continued to use his mouth on her, now nibbling, sucking, and flicking her with his tongue.

Kagome flung her head from side to side, pleaded, threatened, and coaxed, all by uttering his name. Sesshomaru continued his assault, gently nipping at her core, one fang gently brushing against her clit. Kagome cried out, digging her fingers in his hair as he upped the pressure. A long climax convulsed her, drove the breath from her lungs and melted her bones, leaving her limp in its aftermath. Sesshomaru stood, quickly shedding his shoes, pants, and boxers before moving up her body once more, bringing his lips crashing down on hers. The kiss was devastating and Kagome struggled to breathe when he broke away from her.

"Wow," she panted, glowing.

Sesshomaru smirked. "I take it you enjoyed that."

"Yes," she grinned. "I'll return the favor, but I need you too much right now."

Sesshomaru smiled and gently kissed the corner of her mouth. "We're not keeping score, Kagome."

"I know, but I want to be fair."

Sesshomaru chuckled and captured her lips again. Kagome ran her hands over his chest, his shoulders, down, and then back up his arms, frantic to touch him. She wanted him inside her, deep, deep inside her. As if reading her mind, Sesshomaru positioned himself between her legs. With the first powerful thrust, he opened a whole new well of need and Kagome gasped in wanting. He drove into her, nearly withdrew, then drove again; his pace unhurried. Kagome began to meet his thrusts, begging for more.

"Please," she murmured against his neck and Sesshomaru drove deeper, faster.

Kagome dug her heels into the bed to thrust herself upward to meet him, stroke for stroke, clawing at his back and shoulders or any part of him she could get ahold of, calling to him.

"Easy, babe," Sesshomaru gasped. Not wanting to finish, he slowed the pace.

"No," Kagome pouted causing Sesshomaru to laugh.

"Alright," he murmured, kissing her forehead.

He wrapped one arm around her and moved them both so that he was now on his back, Kagome above him. Kagome splayed her hands across his abs to keep her balance and began to move, slowly. Sesshomaru slipped his hands up and down her thighs, allowing her to set her own rhythm. She began to move faster, sliding up and down his length quickly.

"Sess-" she cried out, her breathing ragged as she found her second release.

Sesshomaru sat up, his hand slipping to the base of Kagome's neck, pulling her forward into a searing kiss.

"Beautiful," he whispered against her lips.

Kagome smiled. She slipped off of him and moved next to him, positioning herself on her hands and knees. She wiggled her butt in the oh-so-tempting way of hers, and Sesshomaru didn't need any more of an invitation. Despite her earlier warning, she wanted things hard and fast now, and he was all too willing to comply. He moved behind her, gripped her hips and leaned over her back.

"Ready?" He breathed against her ear, lightly biting the sensitive lobe.

"Yes," she groaned, closing her eyes as a sweet, hot shiver of anticipation went through her.

He entered her in one quick thrust, pulling a deep moan from Kagome.

"Yes," she hissed through clenched teeth, overwhelmed with the new sensation.

Sesshomaru gripped her hips tightly, pulling her back into him each time he thrust forward forcefully. He leaned over her back once more, his breath hard and hot against her neck.

"I love you," he breathed.

"Sess…harder, _please_."

Sesshomaru righted himself, his fingertips digging into Kagome's flesh as he slammed into her rapidly. They were both _so_ close and it fueled his almost violent pace. They shattered simultaneously, Sesshomaru holding her close and driving into her with short, rapid thrusts. Kagome's body convulsed in helpless ecstasy as Sesshomaru let out a hoarse exclamation. When it was all over, he collapsed beside her, pulling her into his arms, holding her against his chest.

"So much for not being too wild," Sesshomaru teased, pressing his lips against Kagome's temple as they both attempted to regain their breath.

"For some reason, you bring out the worst in me."

"The worst?" he questioned, raising an eyebrow.

"I turn into a total wonton mess of desire."

Sesshomaru smirked. "Good."

"Of course you would think so," Kagome laughed, snuggling closer, utterly spent.

First Posted on: April 23rd 2012


	8. Chapter 8

Title: Clear, With a Chance of Awesome  
Prompt: #11-Mocha (Dokuga_contest's Cherry on Top Challenge)  
Genre: Humor/Romance/Hentai  
Rating: M  
Warnings: Adult content.

Word Count: 1,591  
Summary: Day two of racing begins. [AU]

 **CLEAR, WITH A CHANCE OF AWESOME**

'Why is it so hot?' Kagome wondered as she woke groggily.

She blinked, fighting the sunlight until her eyes adjusted, and realized that Sesshomaru was practically smothering her.

'That explains things,' she thought with a grin.

Sesshomaru's arm was draped across her chest possessively; one leg wound through hers, and his face was buried in the crook of her neck. Kagome attempted to free herself from his grasp and Sesshomaru stirred, grumbling something sleepily.

"Morning," Kagome said softly.

"Let's just stay here all day," Sesshomaru murmured against her neck, pulling her closer.

Kagome scoffed and attempted to wriggle free. "No way, I've got races to win."

Sesshomaru smiled, "Wouldn't want to keep you from that."

He released his grip on her and rolled onto his back, folding his arms behind his head. Kagome, in turn, rolled onto her side so that she was facing him and propped her chin on her palm as she drank in the sight of him. She smirked at him as she reached out with her free hand to run her fingertips across his bare chest.

"Oh?" Sesshomaru asked, arching an eyebrow at her, a knowing grin on his lips.

"I did promise to return certain…favors."

"It wasn't a _favor_." Sesshomaru rolled his eyes.

"It was _fantastic_ ," Kagome said, closing her eyes as a little shiver went through her.

When she opened her eyes once more, Sesshomaru was smirking at her with male pride. "Fantastic?"

"Beyond," Kagome answered, leaning forward and pressing her lips against his chest, her hand slipping lower to splay across his stomach.

"Beyond fantastic huh?" Sesshomaru whispered as Kagome's hand glided lower, her fingertips now brushing against his growing erection.

"You'll be repeating those words in a minute," Kagome promised, her lips following the path of her fingers.

 ** _*SHRED*_**

"Well, look who's decided to join us," Koga said, sounding exasperated. "It's about damn time too. If you hadn't shown up right now, I was going to barge in there and wake you up."

"We weren't exactly sleeping in," Kagome answered sheepishly and Sesshomaru kissed the top of her head.

"I can only imagine what depraved smuttiness was going on in there."

Kagome scoffed. " _Depraved_? If anyone's depraved it's _you_."

"Kinda hard to be depraved when you aren't dating anyone," Koga pointed out.

"Yeah, when was the last time you even _had_ a girlfriend?" Kagome asked and Sesshomaru laughed.

"Low blow Kags, low blow," Koga said grumpily, turning towards the bikes only to call over his shoulder, "and not the good kind."

"It's like he has ESP or something," Sesshomaru said with a hint of laughter.

"That or he can tell by that stupid grin you always have afterwards."

"Mom! Dad!" Toshi's excited voice called to them. "Guess what!"

"Hey kiddo!" Kagome greeted, picking up Toshi as he rushed into her arms.

"Guess what!" Toshi yelled again, his excitement rolling off him in waves.

"What?" Sesshomaru asked, ruffling his unruly hair.

"I got to swim last night until _nine_ 'cause there was lights in the pool! And grandpa let me have chocolate chip pancakes for breakfast! Grandma said no, but Grandpa said it was okay and that I needed to eat what makes me happy."

Kagome smiled and kissed his forehead. "Anything with sugar makes you happy. Did you behave?"

"Pssh, yeah," Toshi rolled his eyes.

"He learned that from you," Sesshomaru was quick to point out and Kagome elbowed him awkwardly. "Ow." He feigned injury, much to Toshi's amusement.

Inu and Izayoi joined them; Inu holding a tray with coffee cups in one hand and Sakura's diaper bag in the other, and Izayoi with Sakura on her hip. Sakura reached out towards Sesshomaru, squealing with delight when he took her in his arms.

"Hey baby girl," he cooed. "I missed you." Sesshomaru kissed her cheeks and Sakura giggled louder.

"I could hardly contain her once she saw you," Izayoi said with a smile.

"Did you miss daddy?" Sesshomaru asked and Sakura playfully tugged on his sunglasses.

"Were they good for you?" Kagome asked Inu and Izayoi, setting Toshi down.

"They're never anything less than perfect," Inu answered, then held out the tray of coffee to Kagome. "Here, I brought you one of those fancy blended mocha thingies you love so much."

"Thank you," Kagome said appreciatively, taking the cup with the most scribbles on it.

"When is your practice?" Inu asked, holding the tray in Sesshomaru's direction but keeping his attention on Kagome.

"I'm the third set, and the first set's about half done, so probably in about fifteen minutes or so."

"Don't you think you should get dressed?" Izayoi asked with a laugh.

"I was on my way there," Kagome admitted. "But someone sidetracked me with tales of swimming pool lights and chocolate chip pancakes."

"Oh! And there was a face out of whip cream and cherries on them too!" Toshi said with a big grin. "Can I go put my gear on too?"

"Yes," Kagome answered, taken aback like always at how quickly he could change topics. "You can get dressed with me."

"Mom, I can't get dressed with _you_ , you're a _girl_." Toshi stuck his tongue out at her.

Everyone laughed and Kagome took his hand.

"Oh, right. How silly of me. Alright, well, you can help uncle Yasha and Koga with your bike while I get dressed and then your dad will help you get changed when I'm done."

"Okay," Toshi agreed, walking with Kagome towards the bikes.

 _ ***SHRED***_

"Just like yesterday," Sesshomaru instructed, holding Kagome's bike as they waited just off track for the official to give her group the go-ahead to head onto the track for their practice slot. "Nice and smooth, nothing fancy, just sight things out there. I doubt much has changed, but they did do some track work last night, so some of the jump faces could have changed a bit."

Kagome nodded and grabbed her goggles, which were hanging from the left side of her handlebars, and pulled them on over her helmet.

"Let the others take off before you. Let them get to that little set of rollers out of the first corner before you go."

"I don't really feel like getting peppered with a bunch of roost this morning…"

"So set up on the outside. Give yourself a couple of bike widths between you and the next guy."

Kagome nodded her acknowledgement and turned her attention to the track, resting one hand on the seat of her bike. Sesshomaru rocked the bike forward, gaining her attention again.

"You seem more relaxed this morning," he commented.

Sesshomaru was just able to make out her smile behind her helmet. "I wonder why."

Sesshomaru shrugged, grinning. "I have no idea. Maybe you should tell me in vivid detail."

Kagome laughed and shook her head. "Yeah, no."

"Group C!" The track official yelled, stealing their attention.

The line of twenty riders that had been waiting with Kagome and Sesshomaru began pushing their bikes onto the track. Sesshomaru let Kagome take her bike from him and reached across it to grip her shoulder.

"Be safe out there."

"Always."

Kagome pushed her bike through the gate and onto the track just in front of the starting gate. She positioned herself on the end, a couple of feet away from the closest rider, and tossed a leg over the seat. She waited patiently, along with the other riders, for the signal and then kickstarted her bike. A few minutes later, the group of riders took off, flying up the track and around the first turn. Kagome felt awkward for not following, but waited like Sesshomaru said, and didn't leave the makeshift starting line until the rest of the riders were racing though the rollers. Kagome kept her pace even as possible, trying not to catch up with everyone else, and get a feel for the track. After the first five minutes she kicked it up a few gears and caught the back of the pack, even passing a few riders. By the time the ten minute practice was over, Kagome had ridden her way into the top six. She rode off the track and towards her pits, picking Sesshomaru up near the board where they posted each moto's results. Once they were under the awning of the hauler, Kagome killed the engine and waited while Sesshomaru hopped off the back of the bike.

"Way to make up some time Kags!" Inuyasha cheered.

"We were trying to figure out what the hell you were doing-"

"She was not getting caught in the mad dash of punks that feel the need to prove themselves," Sesshomaru cut across Koga as he took Kagome's bike from her.

"Yeah, that got boring," Kagome laughed, taking off her helmet.

"I figured it would. I was surprised at how long you held out," Sesshomaru admitted.

"The track feels great. It's fast, but drying out. I hope they keep it watered down."

"You can't count on that."

"I know, even if they do, it probably won't last through a moto. What is it, eight-thirty and it's already like ninety-five?"

"Welcome to the desert," Inuyasha joked.

"Make sure you stay hydrated," Inu instructed.

"And cool," Sesshomaru added. "Do you have that white gear with you?"

"Yeah," Kagome answered. "I'm going to go change into it now."

"You have plenty of time before the racer's meeting; you should try and eat something."

"He means food Kags," Koga joked.

"Funny," Kagome said, rolling her eyes. "Are you ever going to grow up?"

"Probably not," Koga answered with a smirk.

First Posted on: June 6th 2012


	9. Chapter 9

Title: Comeback Kid  
Prompt: #3-Rocky Road (Dokuga_contest's Cherry on Top Challenge)  
Genre: Humor/Drama  
Rating: T  
Warnings: Mild language  
Word Count: 2,103  
Summary: Day two's motos. [AU]

 **COMEBACK KID**

Kagome's first motos of the day were a success with her coming in second in her 250mod class and third in her junior 25+ class. Toshi had won the first moto of his 51cc stock class, but there wasn't much of a break for the family however, with Kagome's second set of motos starting just three classes after Toshi's first moto. Despite the stress, Kagome managed to get forth in that moto, landing her on the podium and in third place overall for her 250mod class.

"I don't want to race next time. Remind me of that when I try to talk us into it thinking it's a great idea," Kagome told Sesshomaru while they were waiting in the staging area for her last moto of the weekend.

"Why don't you want to race next time?" Sesshomaru asked, curious.

"I'd rather just concentrate on Toshi. It would be a lot less stressful if I didn't have to worry about my own races."

"It's up to you of course, but I think you'll be more of a wreck without the distraction." Sesshomaru reached out and gave her shoulder a squeeze.

Kagome sighed. "You're probably right. Part of me wants to hide in the trailer until his moto's over, but a bigger part of me wants to wrap him in bubble wrap and follow him around the track."

"Good luck getting him to sit still long enough to get the bubble wrap on him."

They shared a laugh as they moved towards the starting gates. Sesshomaru pushed Kagome's bike onto the concrete slab behind her designated gate and then she took it from him, swinging her leg over the seat.

"Keep the same pace you've had all morning," Sesshomaru instructed as he handed Kagome her goggles. "Nice and smooth, and try not to get caught up in the rat race. This is your biggest moto as far as other riders goes, so just stay safe."

"I'll do my best," Kagome replied as she adjusted her goggles, then her gloves.

Sesshomaru patted the top of her helmet and then stood a couple of feet back, using her pit-board to fan her down until she got to signal to start her bike. Once the girl with the thirty second board moved onto the track, Sesshomaru walked back into the staging area and then ran up the hill towards the first turn where Inu was waiting with Toshi, Koga, and Inuyasha.

"Dad!" Toshi yelled over the sound of the bikes revving. "Which one's mom again?"

"Number thirteen. The one with all the hot pink on the jersey and pants," Sesshomaru answered.

"How is she?" Inu asked.

Sesshomaru shrugged. "Calm. I think she's raced herself out though."

"Eight motos is a lot for one weekend," Inu agreed.

They waited in silence while the thirty second board went sideways and the girl holding it ran from the track; then the gate dropped and all four men were instinctively pulled forward, closer to the boundary of the track. Kagome got a good jump off the line, wheelieing the first thirty yards, and was in second place coming into the first turn.

"Go Kags!" Koga yelled, while Inuyasha whistled.

"Go, go, go!" Sesshomaru added, clapping his hands quickly as Kagome rode past.

"Go mommy!" Toshi roared, jumping up and down enthusiastically.

"That was damn near perfect," Inu commented to no one in particular, snapping pictures.

Sesshomaru moved down the area designated for spectators, watching as Kagome raced up one hill, then down it, and then towards the backside of the track.

"I can't see!" Toshi complained and Inuyasha gripped him around the waist.

"Here," he said as he easily placed Toshi on his shoulders, with the little tyke's legs hanging on either side of his neck. "Is that better?"

"Yeah!" Toshi squealed, excited with his new perch.

Kagome disappeared into the blind section of the track and everyone waited impatiently for her to reappear once more. She came flying over a big tabletop, leading the rest of the twenty-six riders in her class.

"Yes!" Koga cheered.

"Yes," Sesshomaru echoed, clapping twice before reaching for the pit-board attached to his backpack and quickly scribbling a message on it.

"Ata girl Kags!" Inu added.

"What's happening?" Toshi asked, all of the colorful bikes blurred together and things happened too quickly for him to pick out which one was his mom.

"Your mommy has the lead," Inuyasha answered.

"Awesome!"

"Yeah," Inuyasha agreed with a grin.

Kagome did her best to remain calm like Sesshomaru's messages continued to tell her lap after lap. She had been ecstatic with her start and surprised when the rider in front of her made a mistake, washing out his front tire in a bowl turn, and basically handed her the lead on a silver platter. Now she had her work cut out for her trying to keep it. The other riders were fast, but Kagome had the advantage of two lines no one else was using, which shaved at least two seconds off her time per lap.

'Stay calm. Breathe. No mistakes.' This was her mantra throughout each lap.

On her last lap, she chanced a peek over her shoulder, found the rider in second well behind her, and she finally relaxed a little. As she sailed over the finish line jump, she tossed a little celebratory nac-nac, pumping her fist in the air as she landed. She rode over to the inspection area, where Sesshomaru was waiting. He yanked her into a hug, practically pulling her from her bike.

"Great job! First place!"

Kagome laughed. "I know, it sort of fell into my lap."

"You worked your butt off for that win," Sesshomaru corrected. "Nice nac-nac by the way."

"Yeah, that sort of just happened too." Kagome laughed again.

They waited momentarily for all the bikes to be cleared, and then Sesshomaru hopped onto the bike behind Kagome and they rode back to the trailer where everyone else was waiting.

"What a fantastic finish to your weekend," Inu greeted, pulling Kagome into a hug as soon as she was off her bike.

"That was a huge class of really good riders and you kicked their asses!" Inuyasha cheered as Kagome tugged her helmet off.

"That's a bad word!" Toshi scolded his uncle, still seated on his shoulders.

"Right," Inuyasha laughed, setting Toshi down.

"Mom, you won!" Toshi said as he ran towards Kagome.

"Yep." Kagome picked him up and settled him on her hip.

"Does that mean you're going to get a big trophy like I'm going to?"

"Maybe, I don't think it will be as big as yours though." She kissed his temple. "Are you ready for your last moto?"

"Yeah! Koga's gotta get my bike ready though."

"Your bike's been ready for an hour," Koga said, sounding put out.

"Oh," Toshi said indifferently.

"Let mommy go get a drink, okay," Sesshomaru said, pulling Toshi from Kagome's arms.

"Alright, but she'll be back to watch me win my moto right?"

"Of course," Kagome answered, brushing his hair from his eyes. "How about you and dad go get your helmet and goggles while I'm gone?"

"Yeah," Toshi answered, wigging free of his dad's grasp and sliding down Sesshomaru's side until his feet were on the ground. "Come on!"

Toshi dragged Sesshomaru towards the hauler and the two disappeared within it.

"I think I sweated like ten pounds off out there," Kagome complained.

"Sexy," Koga joked.

"Very," Kagome agreed with a laugh. "Especially with my fantastic helmet hair."

 ***SHRED* *SHRED* *SHRED* *SHRED* *SHRED* *SHRED***

Kagome stood with Inu while Sesshomaru helped Toshi around the track in his last moto. Koga and Inuyasha were strategically placed around other sections of the track in case Toshi needed help.

"Ugh, I hate this. Three laps takes forever," Kagome complained.

"I'm pretty sure that's been your complaint during every one of his motos," Inu pointed out.

"I just hate this feeling, like I don't have any control over the situation."

"I'm not going to feed you a line about how that will go away with time. If anything it will get worse as he gets older and gets more reckless."

"Gee, thanks Inu. Such comforting words of wisdom." Kagome rolled her eyes.

"Just wait until Sakura starts riding."

Kagome groaned. "I'm considering forbidding it."

Inu laughed and their attention turned back to the track as Toshi rode over the large tabletop and disappeared behind the announcer's tower and into a rhythm section they couldn't see. They waited for him to ride into view once more and when he didn't reappear right away Kagome gripped Inu's sleeve.

"Where is he?" she asked aloud.

"He's probably just taking his time over the whoops. That little bike doesn't have much power-"

"No, he's done just fine through there all day," Kagome cut across him as they watched two other little boys ride into the blind section.

"Sesshomaru's right there," Inu pointed to where Sesshomaru was walking across the track. "I'm sure he can see that section from there. If something had happened-"

"Something's wrong," Kagome insisted as she started walking to the edge of the spectator's area.

The announcer's speakers, which were normally drowned out by the sound of the motorcycles, crackled. "There's a rider down in the bowl turn. I can't see his number, but it looks like his leg is pinned under his bike."

"Toshi!" Kagome hissed and leapt over the string of flags that acted as the track barrier, ran across the track and towards the announcer's tower with Inu close behind her.

It didn't take them long to get to the chain-link fence that sectioned off the part of the track they normally couldn't see. Kagome slammed into it, gripping the links tightly, considering whether or not it would be quicker to scale it or run the twenty yards to where it ended and go around it. Toshi was just below her and Inu in the deep bowl turn, his bike on its side, its motor still running, and his little leg pinned beneath it. Sesshomaru came running across from the opposite side of the track; he jumped over the berm at the top of the turn and slid down its side until he reached Toshi at the bottom. He lifted Toshi's bike up with one hand and gripped Toshi's shoulder with the other, yanking him to his feet. Toshi was visibly upset and it was obvious he was crying.

"Is he okay?!" Kagome shouted to Sesshomaru, who didn't seem to hear her. "Sesshomaru!"

Inu gripped Kagome's upper arm as she started to take off down the fence line.

"Sesshomaru's got him, he's fine."

"But-"

"Kagome, Sesshomaru's got him."

Kagome shook her head and gripped the fence once more. "Is he okay?!" she yelled again and this time Sesshomaru gave her a thumbs up. "Oh, thank God."

Kagome and Inu looked on as Sesshomaru talked with Toshi, dusted off his gear, helped him back onto his bike, and then sent him back down the track to finish the last lap. Toshi took off, pushing his little bike for all it was worth through the whoops and around the corner. Sesshomaru met up with Kagome and Inu as they followed Toshi around the track.

"He's okay?" Kagome asked instantly.

"Yes," Sesshomaru pulled her into his arms and Kagome let out a breath she'd been holding. "He's just a little dirty. His leg wasn't anywhere near the exhaust."

"He was crying," Kagome pointed out, her voice still heavy with concern, and was shocked when Sesshomaru laughed.

"Yeah, he was upset because he fell and two of the other kids passed him. He wasn't crying because he was hurt; he was crying because he wasn't going to win the overall and get the biggest trophy."

Inu barked out a laugh. "Sounds like someone else I know."

Kagome shook her head. "But, he's okay?"

"Kagome, he's fine. Just a little upset that he fell and won't be winning this moto," Sesshomaru assured her.

"He hates losing as much as you both do," Inu said with a chuckle. "You two are in for one heck of a rocky road if he grows up to be anything like his father. Which thus far, he's _exactly_ like Sesshomaru was at that age."

"Throw a little of Kagome in there and I think we're going to have a little demon on our hands," Sesshomaru joked.

" _I'm_ a demon?" Kagome asked, humor creeping into her tone.

"Only a little," Sesshomaru confessed, pressing his lips to her temple.

First Posted on: September 23rd 2012


	10. Chapter 10

Title: When the Dust Settles  
Prompt: #5-Grasshopper (Dokuga_contest's Cherry on Top Challenge)  
Genre: Humor/Family  
Rating: G  
Warnings: None  
Word Count: 1,446  
Summary: Time to collect the trophies and head home. [AU]

 **WHEN THE DUST SETTLES**

"Inuyasha, can you take the transponders and turn them in?" Sesshomaru asked as he finished tying down Kagome's bike.

"Sure," Inuyasha answered, glad to have an excuse to get out of packing. "Where are they?"

"On the front seat of the truck. Make sure you get my deposit back too."

"Yeah, yeah." Inuyasha waved Sesshomaru away and headed for the truck.

Along the way he passed Inu sitting in one of the remaining chairs with Toshi playing with his toys in the dirt nearby.

"Looks like you're working hard," Inuyasha commented.

"I'm babysitting." Inu smiled. "What are you doing?"

"I was going to take the transponders back."

"Can I go?" Toshi asked, getting to his feet, his toys forgotten.

Inuyasha shrugged. "Sure, if you want."

"Yeah!"

"Alright." Inuyasha nodded towards the truck. "Let me get the transponders."

"Don't let him get into trouble," Inu warned.

"I won't. We're only going to be gone five minutes," Inuyasha scoffed.

"I wasn't talking to you," Inu said with a grin. "Toshi, don't let your uncle get into trouble."

Toshi laughed. "Okay."

"Good one," Inuyasha said, shaking his head. "Let's go, Toshi."

Toshi ran to Inuyasha's side and followed him to the truck, where Inuyasha grabbed the transponders, and then the two headed down the dirt road towards the front of the mx park.

"Look!" Toshi shrieked, running ahead of his uncle. "It's one of those hoppy things."

"A grasshopper," Inuyasha offered with a chuckle. "See if you can catch it."

Instantly falling in love with his uncle's idea, Toshi slowed down, creping forward towards the unsuspecting insect.

"Careful, go slow or he'll hop away," Inuyasha warned.

"What do I catch him with?"

"Your hands?"

"What am I going to keep him in though?"

"Who said anything about keeping him?"

"Well, if I'm going to catch him, I should keep him," Toshi said matter-of-factly.

"I don't think your mom will let you."

"Yeah, she doesn't like bugs," Toshi admitted sounding forlorn.

"And you don't have anything to keep him in on the ride home."

"I could always hold him," Toshi suggested. "I'd be real gentle so I don't squish him."

"What are you going to do with him once we get home? Do you know what grasshoppers eat?"

"Grass?" Toshi asked instantly.

Inuyasha laughed. "I'm pretty sure they don't eat grass."

"Then why are they called grasshoppers?"

"Because they hop around in the grass."

"But this one's in the desert. There's no grass anywhere."

"Good point. Maybe he's lost." Toshi contemplated that for a moment. "May he's on his way home and if you pick him up, he won't ever get there."

"Yeah," Toshi sighed. "I guess I should leave him here."

"There's all kinds of bugs around the track at home, maybe we can catch one there."

"Yeah!" Toshi agreed, perking up with Inuyasha's suggestion. "Then it would already be home. You'll help me catch one?"

"Sure."

"Awesome!"

Inuyasha laughed and Toshi returned to his side as they continued on their way to the trailer where Inuyasha was supposed to turn in the transponders.

 ***SHRED* *SHRED* *SHRED* *SHRED* *SHRED* *SHRED***

"Which ones are mine?" Toshi asked, wide-eyed, staring at the rows of trophies.

"I don't know," Kagome answered, keeping a tight grip on the back of Toshi's jersey. "You'll just have to wait and see which one they hand you when they call your name."

"I hope it's one of those biggest ones."

"What are you going to do with a trophy that's taller than you are?" Inu asked, smiling down at his grandson.

"I'll probably need help carrying it," Toshi mused.

"No doubt," Inu agreed.

"I hope they start with the kids' classes," Kagome said, once again reining Toshi back from raiding the trophy table. "I'm not sure he'll be able to wait through all the others."

"They'll probably follow the order on the class lists," Sesshomaru said, thinking it would be the most practical way of doing things.

"At least there's only a top three in the others. That should make things go a little quicker."

"For all our sakes, I sure hope so," Inuyasha laughed.

"Mom, can I get your trophies too?"

"You can go with me to get them and carry them for me," Kagome answered.

"Okay, but just until I get mine, 'cause I'm gonna have to carry them instead."

"Okay," Kagome agreed with a soft smile.

"You'll probably be tucking him into bed with them for the next week," Inu pointed out. "Sesshomaru was that way with his first trophy."

"He even insisted it be in the tub with him with I gave him his bath," Izayoi added, smiling at the memory.

"I never did anything like that," Sesshomaru scoffed. "You must have me confused with Inuyasha."

"Oh no," Inu started with a chuckle. "It was most definitely you. Inuyasha didn't start racing until he was older. You were the one that raced the Pee-Wees."

"I don't remember that."

"Well, you were only five then," Izayoi pointed out. "It's not likely you would."

"I remember the trophy; I still have it in the display case in the office."

"Can my trophies go next to yours dad?" Toshi asked.

"Sure," Sesshomaru answered shifting Sakura in his arms. "But wouldn't you rather have your own trophy shelf in your room?"

"It'd have to be huge. I'm going to have a bunch of trophies to put on it."

"It's not all about the trophies," Kagome said softly.

"I know," Toshi sighed. "But they're cool! I want lots of them."

"Better be prepared to hit the tracks every weekend," Inu joked.

"Seriously," Kagome sighed.

The track staff began handing out the trophies and, just as Sesshomaru had predicted, they followed the order of the class lists. Kagome, along with her helper Toshi, walked to the front of the crowd twice, both times to grab the overall winner trophy for her class. Then the results for Toshi's first class were called and Toshi raced up to the front to snatch up his overall winner's trophy that was indeed taller than he was by at least a foot.

"It's so awesome!" he cheered, dragging it back towards his parents. "It's even my favorite color!"

"I thought your favorite color was red?" Inuyasha asked.

"It's blue," Toshi corrected.

"This week," Kagome added with a laugh.

"That's one heck of a trophy kiddo," Inu praised.

"Thanks!" Toshi said with a smile that stretched ear to ear.

"Kags," Sesshomaru said, nudging his wife. "They just called your name for a second overall in your junior twenty-five plus class."

"Oh," Kagome started to walk towards the front. "Toshi, are you going to help?"

"Nope," he answered simply, eyes glued to his shiny new trophy.

Sesshomaru, along with everyone else within earshot, laughed. "Guess you're on your own Mom. He's got his own now."

"Looks that way," Kagome muttered, turning once more to the trophy table.

Kagome made the trek to the front alone once more to grab a third overall trophy for her 250mod class and then Toshi's name was called again for a third overall in his second class.

"I got another one even though I crashed!"

"See, that's why you have to do your best in every moto," Sesshomaru said wisely. "You never know where you might end up at the end of the day."

"It's a mini one of my other one," Toshi laughed, his father's wisdom lost on him.

"Well, that's the last trophy we need to collect, I guess that means it's time to finish packing," Inu said, picking up Toshi's larger trophy.

"Ugh," Inuyasha groaned. "I hate that part."

"Unfortunately, there's no way around it." Inu shoved Inuyasha forward with his free hand.

"Easy for you to say, you sat on your butt watching Toshi play in the dirt."

"Someone had to do it," Inu laughed.

 ***SHRED* *SHRED* *SHRED* *SHRED* *SHRED* *SHRED***

Sesshomaru glanced up at his rearview mirror, Kagome hadn't responded to his question.

"Kags?" he asked again, taking advantage of the open road and looking over his shoulder.

He couldn't help but smile. Kagome was lying on the pullout couch, her cheek resting on the back of it, sound asleep. Toshi's head was in her lap and he too was out like a light, his smaller trophy clutched to his chest. With a chuckle, Sesshomaru turned his attention back to the road.

"Well Sakura," Sesshomaru began, glancing to his right where Sakura sat in her car seat. "Looks like you and I are the last ones standing, baby girl."

Sakura giggled in response, spouting a string of baby gibberish.

"I can't wait until you can talk," Sesshomaru told her, then thought better of it. "You'll probably make me regret those words someday."

Sakura let out another squeal of laugher and Sesshomaru found himself laughing along with her.

First Posted on: September 30th, 2012


End file.
